Blind Madness
by hrhowling
Summary: Dagur hates dragons more than anything, and won't stop fighting until they're all wiped from existence. So how does he find himself; lacerated and blind; involuntarily placing his fate into the claws of the one thing he hates most? (rated T for blood and violence, just in case. Language is K)
1. Prologue

Before they'd even set foot on the ships, they'd known it was all going to end in a disaster. Even he did, but he didn't care. He was Dagur the Deranged, Berserk and ultimate dragon slayer, and he'd stick to that title, no matter what happened. The little peace treaty between dragon and Viking that had been instated at Berk no less than six years ago didn't apply to him and his tribe. It never did and never would. _Ever._

Finally, after a week of sailing, they were there. They'd caught wind of this dragon nest a while ago, and now he wanted to take it down. He didn't care how many men he lost; he'd never stop until either he breathed no longer, or dragons were wiped from existence. Preferably the latter, haha.

Now here he was, fighting like the psychopath he was born to be, a never-ending, animalistic roar tearing out of his throat, his sword swinging in vast arcs that rendered limb, head and tail off of anything that came close, be they Viking or dragon. Fire reflected in his mad, blood-crazed eyes, his mouth twisted to match his scream and was covered in blood from where he'd bitten someone in his fury, just like the rest of him. He'd abandoned his shield before the battle had even begun, and now the only thing protecting him was his helmet and flimsy chest plate.

"Dagur! There are too many of them!" someone yelled from behind his reach. "We need to fall back!"

Dagur paused in his rage to glare rabidly at the 'warrior' who had spoken. "No!" he shrieked, his voice twisted with madness. "We won't back down! I refuse to let these vermin live another second!"

Without another word, he returned to his raging, apocalyptic charge, not caring about the many Vikings he saw running back to the ships. _Let them run_, he growled inwardly. _When I come back triumphant, those cowards will be begging me to let them live after deserting me._

The high-pitched screech of a young Changewing; backed against the wall; caught his attention. On instinct, he turned to face and kill it.

It's face, twisted into a hiss, was the last thing he saw.

Blinding pain immediately seared his eyes. His vision went white, he shrieked in agony, dropping his sword to bring his hands to his eyes, trying to rub out the blindness and torment. Something sank it's teeth into his shoulder, and he felt a spreading pain enter his bloodstream. Poison.

"No, nonono," he moaned, backing against the cliff wall. "NO! I WON'T BE BEATEN! I WON'T-!"

_CCRRRAACCK!_

His head snapped up, but he couldn't see the cascade of gigantic boulders and jagged grey rocks tumbling down towards him. But he heard the rumble and crash as they thundered down on top of him, felt the searing agony shooting up both his legs, forcing him to twist in spasmodic motions in an attempt to pull himself free, smelled and tasted the coppery tang of blood.

He was stuck. Trapped. Encased in rock, he was going to die!

An odd feeling tugged at his chest, and a weak, pathetic sound was rising in his throat, but he pushed it back before it became audible. As his rage and adrenaline melted away, he was overwhelmed by the sheer agony of his lacerations. He was definitely burned, and he had several broken ribs, probably from that Gronkle that had rammed into him and had an impromptu meeting with his sword. His hands were stinging from the acid he'd rubbed off of his eyes, and his throat was burning incessantly.

He was trapped, wounded and blind. There was no way to get back out, and all the men who were in earshot were probably either dead or dying.

Just like him…

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**And here you have it! This is far from over, folks!**

**Also, I'm not sure what genre this should be put in yet. I'll figure it out when I've finished the next few chapters.**


	2. Chapter 1 - No Chance

**Oooh! Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll! But then again, I normally am when I start new stories.**

**Just a note, bold writing is dragon language.**

**I don't own How to Train Your Dragon. Only this story and select characters belong to me.**

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**Chapter 1 – No Chance**

The lavender dragoness edged towards the recently-made rock pile, uncertainty clouding her pale gold eyes. The mad human had been trapped beneath them for two days now, with no sign of getting out. Whenever she stuck her slim muzzle in between the boulders, she was overpowered by the coppery scent of blood. Not good. She knew from experience.

**"****Aurora Healer! Get away from there!"** The dragoness glanced behind her to see a dark green Monstrous Nightmare fixing his gaze on first her, then the rocks. **"He could hurt you."**

**"****He's been trapped beneath those rocks for two days, Forest Inferno," **'Aurora Healer,' as she was supposedly called, stated. **"From the smell of it, he's lost a lot of blood, and won't be a threat."**

**"****Still, you should at least let him die in peace, even if he doesn't deserve it,"** Forest Inferno growled bitterly. Aurora understood the reason for his distaste in her concern for the human. After all, said human had beheaded his sister in front of his eyes. **"Come on, Cliffchomper should need that salve replaced by now."**

Aurora sighed. Forest was right. With one last glance back at the human's prison, she turned and padded in the opposite direction; claws making soft _clink, clink _sounds on the stone.

* * *

He'd been sliding in and out of consciousness for Thor knew how long now. There was a nauseating knot in his stomach and guts, and newly discovered wounds still dripped blood, making his head hurt. His sight was that of nothing but darkness, and his eyes stung whenever he tried to focus them. He was just thankful that it had eventually grown numb. Berserker or not, he still didn't enjoy excessive amounts of pain.

Dagur knew he was going to die unless something, nothing short of a miracle no less, happened. But if he did, then he just hoped he'd earned a place in Valhalla. Perhaps… perhaps he could see _her _again.

With the first genuine smile in who knew how long, he fell back into unconsciousness, clinging to that thought…

* * *

When he woke up again, he could hear the sounds of digging and low, anxious whines. Dragons. Upon instinct, Dagur tensed into a fighting position of sorts, only to take in a sharp breath when the pain assaulted him once more. The digging stopped, followed by a low growl, then started up again. This time, he didn't get ready to fight back. He was dead meat, no point in saying otherwise. Perhaps he could lash out when he was free of the rocks and drag himself to safety. That sounded like a plan. Not a good one, but it was a plan nonetheless.

He supposed the rocks had finally been cleared away when he could see very pale, blurred light bordering an equally blurry black shape. It was long and slim, with jagged edges towards the top. A dragon no doubt. In an attempt to scare it off, he forced a weak growl out of his dry mouth. The sound caught in his throat and sent him into a hacking, coughing fit; the heavy spasms of his chest making his broken ribs hurt and dig into his lungs.

"G-get away from me," he croaked through coughs. "M-monster."

The closest thing to a response he got was a low, crooning growl. Dagur flinched when he felt something rest itself against his forehead; something soft and warm. Hot air puffed against his face, and he could smell something in the unnatural breeze that wasn't blood. It… it smelled like… lavender…

That was when he plunged into darkness again.

* * *

**Me again! Okay, so the only thing I own here besides the story is Aurora Healer and Forest Inferno.**

**Now might also be a good time to mention that I am looking for dragon OCs to borrow, and perhaps some human OCs. Let me know if you have any to offer, I'd really appreciate it, and I'll give you credit of course.**


	3. Chapter 2 - Foreboding

***sigh* I seem to be making a lot of short chapters. Oh well, on with the story.**

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**Chapter 2 – Foreboding**

Captain Vorg stood at the dock, gazing out onto the north horizon. Nearly two weeks had passed since the Berserker armada had set sail for a large dragon nest situated in the north-west. Why anything, let alone a dragon, would want to live any further north than the Viking lands was beyond him. The place was cold enough during the summer, winter made it an icy wasteland.

"Anything?"

The armada captain looked away from the horizon to see a young girl of about nineteen stood behind him, expectancy emanating from every part of her being. She was somewhat of a female lookalike of her older brother, Dagur, with pale green eyes and messy red hair. Both siblings were of similar height, which they both put down to her being taller than the average female Viking, but knew that it was really because Dagur was somewhat shorter than a Berserker his age should have been.

"Not yet," Vorg stated bluntly. "I don't know if we should be awaiting victory or worrying that they're… you know…"

The chief's sister nodded grimly, and moved to stand by Vorg's side.

"I just hope Dagur doesn't do anything stupid. You know how he gets when preparing for a battle with dragons."

Vorg nodded. He'd seen Dagur's full Berserk potential first hand.

"Don't worry, Freyja. Dagur's rather crazy, but he'd never let himself just die, especially at the claws of dragons. He's too strong willed for that."

It was Freyja's turn to nod now, but suddenly snorted with laughter when she realised what Vorg had just said.

"Strong willed?" she chortled. "More like stubborn."

"I think you might be right."

Freyja laughed some more, the sound reminiscent of Dagur's full-blown cackle, but more light hearted. Slowly, however, it faded into a saddened chuckle, and dwindled to nothing. Again, reminiscent of Dagur.

"Normally… normally I'm always sure he'll come back but… this time? This time, I'm getting this horrible feeling in my stomach that something's gone wrong. I mean, they ought to be back now. Dagur… Dagur promised he'd come back in no more than two weeks."

Freyja sighed softly and stared out onto the horizon, searching for any sign of the returning armada.

* * *

**Yeah, that's what I think Dagur's sister is like. What do you think?**

**Oh, and I'm going on holiday for a week, and I may or may not have any internet during that time, so you might have to wait a week for the next few chapters.**


	4. Chapter 3 - Unwanted Help

**Woo! Two chapters in one day! Time to celebrate!**

**I'm really liking the way this story's going, and I've got a ton of motivation behind me (what a surprise).**

**Okay, I don't own Dagur or How to Train Your Dragon. I only own the story and the particular dragon who shows up here.**

**On another note, ALL BOLD WRITING IS DRAGON SPEAK! Why am I emphasising that? Not telling! x3**

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**Chapter 3 – Unwanted Assistance**

"Urgh. Huh? Ow! Thor almighty, that bludgeon hit me hard! Freyja, you need to be more-. Yeaargh!"

Dagur screwed up his face in pain as agony launched itself along his legs. It hurt to breathe too deeply and his eyes were stinging horribly. What had-?

Oh. The raid on the nest. The rocks. So… did that mean that he'd been rescued? He did remember rocks being cleared away and… urgh, his head hurt _so much_! Where was he? He hoped he was back at home on Berserk Island. Or at least sailing back.

"Where in Odin's name am I?" he muttered, trying to lift himself up onto his feet but thinking better of it when his arms gave out from under him. His head immediately began pounding fiercely. "Ow!"

A low rumbling noise sounded to his left, coupled with the thud of footsteps.

"Hello? Who is that? You'd better show yourself or I'll-."

**"****Do yourself… favour… talking… minimum. Y…throat hasn't… vered."** _Something _snarled at him. He could make out faint words but the most part of it was a mess of growls and quiet roaring sounds.

"What the?! Dragon! I'll kill you!"

**"****Yeah… smart. Try… kill… one on this entire… willing to save your life… you've done."**

"B-back off! Hey!" Dagur immediately flinched away from the touch of a scaled claw on his chest.

**"… ****still,"** the dragon growled softly. A hiss forced itself out of Dagur's throat as something cold made contact with his eyes. He screwed them shut as the substance stung his skin, but the pain receded soon enough. The dragon's thin, deft claws rubbed the gel-like stuff into his eyelids, almost soothing him if it weren't for the fact that even that small amount of pressure hurt.

"Stop it, it** hurts!" **he snarled, trying to push the dragon back. "Go **away!"**

He felt the pressure leave his eyes immediately, and heard the dragon let out a small yelp of surprise. Ha! He'd shown it who was boss! Without a second thought, he started trying to drag himself off of the rock that he was lying down on and grope around in search of something he could use as a weapon.

The moment he moved, that same agony from before attacked him. Suddenly, his mind was yanked back to his incarceration in the rocks. The pain and darkness had left him helpless and pathetic, almost scaring him. But he was a Berserker, and Berserkers never got scared!

"Rrrgh, okay," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Bad move. Ahck!"

**"****Maybe… time… be so muttonheaded."**

**"****What** did you **say?!** Rrrgh! Aaargh! Dammit!" The outburst sent Dagur into a coughing fit, the pain becoming so overwhelming he didn't notice the dragon picking him up and placing him back onto the rock.

**"****Just… careful… time,"** the dragon growled softly. **"I'll… back…"**

The retreating _clink, clink_ of claws against stone alerted him of the dragon's departure. When he was sure it was gone, he allowed himself to relax a little.

"Stupid **dragon**, thinks it can **tell me what to do**, huh?! I'll **show **_that_ bag of scales! Huh, weird, come to think of it, I don't remember seeing any scales on… wait… I… I don't remember seeing anything at all. I… No… nononono, I'm not… I'm not… **NO! THIS ISN'T FAIR! WHY'S IT ALWAYS ME?!"**

If anyone passed by that particular cave, their ears would have been greeted by a string of Nordic curses and dragon-like screams.

* * *

**The plot thickens! Like soup!**

**I've decided that I'm going to write the completed sentences of what the dragon says, since disjointed speech can get a little tough to decipher properly for some people.**

**"Do yourself a favour and keep the talking to a minimum. Your throat hasn't fully recovered."**

**"Yeah, real smart. Try to kill the only one on this entire island who is willing to help you after all you've done."**

**"Keep still."**

**"Maybe next time you won't be so muttonheaded."**

**"Just be careful next time. I'll be back."**


	5. Chapter 4 - Absence

**Yay! I have internet!**

**Turns out I'm really babying this fic ^^"""" Is that bad? Oh well, I guess that means I have a chance of actually finishing it (unlike some other stories I've written)**

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**Chapter 4 – Absence**

"They're here! They're back!"

The sounds of cheers and a horn being blown was what Freyja awoke to several mornings after her short conversation with Vorg at the docks. Groaning, she forced herself out of bed and got dressed in her black leather boots, murky green tunic, brown trousers and dark fur-rimmed cloak. She neglected to put on any sort of armour that her brother normally insisted she wore and merely grabbed the nearest piece of bread on the table that wasn't stale before heading out to see what all the fuss was about.

When she did get there, she almost screamed with joy. There, just lowering anchor, was the Berserker armada. True, they were two days late, but she didn't care. She could reprimand Dagur for punctuality later. Right now she just wanted to see him so she could tackle him into a hug and get rid of that sick sense of worry that had settled into her stomach since his mad voyage had begun.

"Whoa, there, missy!" Vorg called out when he saw the chief's sister about to charge past the docking crews. "Let them get off the ships first."

Freyja did as she was told, but kept hopping around from foot to foot in her impatience to finally see her brother again, and perhaps cry into his chest like she normally did whenever he came back from doing something stupid and dangerous. Yes, she'd probably get a lecture from him about maintaining his image, but she never cared. She knew her brother loved her, he just wasn't always that great at showing it.

But the more she waited, the more she realised that something was wrong. Very wrong. The men all seemed tense and none made eye contact with her. No one bothered to announce her brother's return, something that would have earned a threat related to loss of limb or something else that would spring to Dagur's mind.

Eventually, she was faced by the stand-in captain of the lead ship. A few crew members behind him looked nervous, and she saw the apprehension in his eyes, but he managed to keep a brave face. This was bad, she knew it, and chances were she'd throw a Dagur's fit if it had anything to do with her brother. But… that wasn't the case, right?

"Is something wrong, Captain?" she asked, her voice level but carrying dangerous undertones.

The captain shuffled his feet from side to side as he tried to mumble his answer.

"Y-your brother," he muttered. "He… well…"

"What?"

"He… he can't come back…"

Silence. The air seemed to freeze around Freyja, practically stopping her breathing. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks and her hands clenched and unclenched constantly. Vorg immediately tensed, knowing that what would come next probably wasn't going to be pretty.

"What. Happened. To. Him?" Freyja hissed through a clenched jaw.

The captain backed away slowly, and his crew mates promptly fled for fear of their limbs. "H-he… he was crushed," he explained hesitantly. "There was a rockslide and… he was caught right under it. E-even if he had survived, there would have been no way for us to get him out before the dragons picked us all off one by one."

"And you thought your own lives were more important than his?!" Freyja shrieked. "For Odin's sake, he's your _chief_!"

"Freyja," Vorg said slowly. "Please, keep your temper under control."

"Temper?! Ha! What a cute name for Berserk Tendencies!" the girl screamed, turning back to the stand-in captain, teeth bared and eyes bloodshot with rage. "What makes you think you had the right to abandon your leader?!" she roared in his face.

"I-I'm sorry!" the Viking cried. "Th-the men were in a shambles, we didn't know what to do! By the time we came to our senses, it was too late to do anything!"

Freyja was just about to toss the idiot into the waters before Vorg laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Freyja," he ordered quietly. "Calm down. Rage will not bring back your brother."

The deranged chief's equally crazed sister stood tensed before the man who'd just abandoned her brother and his chief, harsh breaths hissing from her throat. Slowly, her pupils dilated back to their normal size and she took several deep, measured breaths as she calmed herself down.

"Get out of my sight," she growled to the stand-in. "Unless you plan on becoming Sharkworm food, I suggest you stay away from any military operations until I see fit. Got it?!"

The stand-in captain nodded vigorously, before all too eagerly scurrying away from the Berserker girl.

After a while, Vorg spoke up. "Freyja?" he enquired. "I get the feeling you're about to do something drastic to get your brother back. Am I right?"

Freyja turned her gaze to lock eyes with the captain. "Yes," she confirmed. Immediately, she marched back to the village on a direct course for her hut. "I want a longboat ready within the day, with supplies for a journey to Berk and back!" she ordered. "See to it that it's done, Vorg! You're accompanying me on this little expedition!"

"B-Berk?!" Vorg stuttered, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. "We haven't made contact with them for years since your brother ordered we stayed isolated from the rest of the Archipelago tribes!"

"Well… my brother's not here!" Freyja spat. "That means that until we either get him back or confirm that he's dead, _I _call the shots here!"

Vorg nodded. Freyja wasn't beating around the bush. She obviously had a plan and it involved Berk, possibly its dragons too. It was no secret that she'd go to great lengths to help her brother whenever he was in need.

"You heard the chief!" he roared. "Get that longboat ready!"

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**Soooo, what are your thoughts? Please let me know!**

**No dragon talk to fill in this time. Maybe in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 5 - Enquiry

**Okay, LOOONG chapter coming up!**

**God, I am LOVING writing this story! I mean, it's obvious, right? I'm posting so many chapters! Hooray for motivation!**

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**Chapter 5 – Enquiry**

Aurora Healer padded softly into the small, damp cavern. It was dark, and the walls were coated in dark, turquoise moss that also draped over the cavern's mouth to form a curtain. The foliage blocked out the light, but that didn't matter thanks to her night vision.

**"****Little Healer? What brings you here?"**

Aurora's glowing gold eyes caught sight of a long, thin shape that lay curled at the back of the cavern. It was an elderly, greyish-blue dragoness with shiny silver eyes. Its beaked head was adorned with elaborate spines and frills, and its wings were decorated with spiralling white patterns.

**"****Elda," **Aurora greeted. **"I was hoping we could talk."**

**"****Talk away, Aurora, talk away, I'm not really going anywhere,"** Elda crooned. **"You have a question for me, yes?"**

**"****A-as a matter of fact, I do."** Aurora paused to sit down on one of the flat rocks in the cavern. **"It's about the human I took in, the one who got caught under the rocks that Cliffchomper knocked down."**

At the mention of the human, Elda's ear-flaps perked up. **"The deranged one?" **she enquired.

**"****Well, ****_that_**** would be putting it lightly. Let's say he's… somewhere between balancing on the edge of his sanity and already plummeting down to madness."**

Elda chuckled softly. **"If you say so. Would you like a snack? Or a drink? I've just got a few portions of nectar from Van-Vel-San-Sel."**

**"****No thank you."**

**"****I see. Now, what did you want to say about the human?"**

**"****It's… kind of a question focused on all humans, not just him. Can… can humans… talk our language? At all?"**

The older dragon tilted her head, the folds of scaled skin on her neck creasing slightly. **"Whatever put that thought into your head, child?"**

**"****I… I think he started jumping from Norse – that's what it's called, right? – to Dragonese. He woke up a few days ago, and… when I tried to apply some ointment on his eyes to lessen the effects of those acid burns… he snarled at me, not the way a human should. And when I left to go check on some other patients, I heard him screaming in Dragonese again, about how 'it was always him' and 'it's not fair.' I could be going absolutely crazy, but it's possible, right?"**

Elda sighed softly. **"I may be old, Healer, but I have never known for a human to speak Dragonese. Some can decipher the odd word from our tongue, and try to replicate our sounds, but never speak our words fluently."**

**"****Well, what I heard seemed quite decent… besides the cursing… hehe…"**

**"****_But_**** – that doesn't mean it's impossible."**

That caught Aurora's full attention, her long ears perking up slightly. **"Could you… perhaps explain?"**

Elda sighed softly, her eyes closing as she remembered the old story she'd been told as a hatchling and other pieces of wisdom she'd picked up in her long years.

**"****That human is a Viking. Of course, you already know that. What you probably don't know is that he's a Berserker."**

**"****A Berserker? You mean..?"**

**"****That wild frenzy he was overwhelmed in during the battle is part of his heritage. Berserkers are some of the most fearless Viking warriors known to dragon-kind. And the most reckless."**

**"****That explains why he went after that Changewing then. Stupid moron got himself blinded. I may be good at healing various maladies, but I doubt I'll be able to return his sight to him."**

**"****Perhaps this is penance from the Gods. Either way, do whatever you can. Every creature deserves a second chance, despite their past wrongs."**

**"****But what's this got to do with how the human I'm treating can speak Dragonese?"**

The elderly dragon didn't answer immediately. Taking her time, she drank from a small pool situated near her before she answered. **"Because Berserkers are believed to have once been a tribe of dragon riders, imbued with our ferocity. But over time, the two species grew apart, and the men lost control of their God-given strength, giving way to the Berserkers we do battle with today."**

**"****So the Dragonese he's speaking? It could be remnants of an ancient heratige?"**

**"****That's correct."**

**"****But… I don't understand. I've treated dragons who've come back after fighting with that particular tribe alongside our allies in the Dragon Archipelago nest, and not one of them have ****_ever_**** come back claiming that a human has spoken Dragonese in front of them. Why is this one human speaking our language after so many generations of silence?"**

**"****I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, Aurora. It could be the work of the Gods, it could be something completely different."** Elda looked up at the young healer, silver eyes glinting in the low light. **"I'd have to see him to know for myself."**

**"****I'll see if I can bring him up here when his legs have healed enough. I may have to knock him out though…"**

**"****That won't be necessary. I'll go and see him."**

Immediately, Aurora jumped up in panic. **"What?!" **she yelped. **"You can't do that! My home is too far for you to-."**

**"****Relax child, I'll ask for some assistance."**

**"****O-okay then."**

**"****Now run along. I'm sure there's some drama queen of a mother who is tearing up your cave looking for you so you can treat a dragonet who has most likely just breathed in a little too much pollen."**

A brief flicker of annoyance crossed Aurora's face as she pictured the scene. Then she immediately looked worried as said scene developed into one of the discovery of the human. Only a few people knew of her mad decision to help him.

**"****You're right. Thank you, Elda."**

**"****It was a pleasure, Aurora. Just remember that if anything else is on your mind, don't hesitate to come and ask me about it. You and your brother both share a place in my heart, just as your parents did and still do."**

The old dragoness saw the younger one wince at the mention of her parents and regretted her words immediately. She and her brother had struggled to deal with the loss of their parents, particularly Razor when the full weight of their parents' responsibilities was suddenly tossed onto him. Elda was just glad that both young dragons had the support of their nest-mates.

_Be careful, Little Healer,_ she silently willed as the younger dragon departed. _The future is a foggy place, and you might just crash into a rock of misfortune that you never saw coming…_

* * *

**Okay, so I don't need to fill in any Dragonese, but I do have a little headcannon fact thingy that I'd like to explain.**

****Van-Vel-San-Sel, who is briefly mentioned, is a Snaptrapper dragon. My headcannon is that dragons with multiple heads have individual names for each head, and when the whole dragon is being referred to, then the names are all mashed up. It can become a real mouthful for some people x3****

****No actual Dagur stuff, until the chapter after the next I'm afraid. You'll have to wait for your favourite madman. (God, I'm so cruel)****


	7. Chapter 6 - An Unexpected Plea

**Okay, lots of dialogue here. Normally I suck at dialogue, but I gave it my best shot.**

**We also get a glimpse of the past. I was mostly inspired by 'Viking Lady' when it came to that part, and I thank you for that.**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – An Unexpected Plea**

Being the chief of the Hooligan tribe doesn't leave much time for idle flights. Neither does having the alpha of all dragons for a companion. But Hiccup still made time to fly and explore with Toothless.

It was on one of these particular flights that he spotted an unusual ship cresting the waves on a straight course for Berk. It wasn't Trader Johann's; that was for sure. Struck by curiosity, Hiccup edged Toothless down in order to take a closer look.

When he saw the Skrill insignia painted bright and clear on the ship's sail, his blood ran cold.

"Berserkers," he whispered.

Toothless growled, hostility towards the tribe all too clear. Said tribe hadn't made contact with any Vikings from the Barbaric Archipelago for what? Four years? No, five. Hiccup hadn't heard any word of Dagur, the chief, but had last seen him sailing home from Outcast Island, battered and bruised after a particularly nasty beating from Alvin. The only reason the Berserker chief was still able to stand was because Hiccup's father; Stoic the Vast had stepped in.

Emboldened by the memory of his father, Hiccup coaxed Toothless into a steady dive towards the boat. The movement was quick, but not fast enough to produce the Night Fury's trademark whistling noise. As they neared the longboat, Hiccup could pick out the individual figures of its crew, and a solitary one stood at the prow staring straight ahead.

"Berserkers!" Hiccup called out as he came close to the water and brought Toothless to a near stop. "State your business! What does Dagur want?"

"Dagur doesn't want anything," a female voice yelled back. "It's what _I _want."

It was the figure Hiccup had seen at the prow. A girl of nineteen with very similar characteristics to Dagur. He remembered her from his earlier years when the Berserker tribe's former chief; Osvald the Agreeable; visited Berk to sign the peace treaty with the Hooligans. Back then, Dagur the Deranged hadn't been quite so… deranged. Yes, he'd had some odd ideas, but he'd been a close friend of Hiccup's to the point that they were inseparable whenever they got together at the meetings. The young woman who stood before him now had once been a sweet little girl who'd clung to her big brother's arm at every opportunity, and had often ended up enraptured in their little schemes.

But then… Dagur had changed. He'd turned cold and crazy, and his sister stopped coming to the meetings. Hiccup and Dagur had drifted apart, the latter even becoming aggressive to the former.

"Freyja?"

The girl smiled to confirm Hiccup's guess. "Whatever gave it away?" she asked sarcastically.

Hiccup was about to chuckle at the girl's jibe, but quickly realised the seriousness of the situation. Berserkers were headed for his home and tribe; he needed to know why.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, all humour gone. "I doubt Dagur would just let you sail here to Berk on a whim. Unless of course he's decided to follow after his father and restart that peace treaty with Berk."

Upon hearing the final statement, Freyja's face momentarily flashed with anger and… madness? As soon as the expression had appeared, it faded.

"No," she said. "It's not that. Dagur didn't send me here. In fact I think he'd go crazy he knew about this and send his armada after me." She sighed softly. "I need your help. It's about Dagur."

* * *

"He did what?!"

Hiccup winced as the sound of his mother's enraged yelling met his ears. The moment Freyja and her Berserker soldiers had set port, the men had been locked up in the holding cells as a precaution whilst Freyja was taken to Hiccup's hut to discuss her issue with him, Valka and the other dragon riders who ran the Dragon Academy of Berk.

"Mom, could you calm down please?" he asked.

"Calm down?! After hearing that her _psychotic brother_ has attacked a _dragons' nest_?! No! I refuse to calm down!" Valka immediately turned on Freyja. "And _you_ have the _nerve_ to ask us for help! After all your brother's done, you expect us to help him just because you asked?!"

"Well… that's kinda the gist of it, yeah," Freyja mumbled, her green eyes fixed on the table which she'd found suddenly fascinating.

"The real question is;" Fishlegs pointed out; "why do you want _our_ help?"

At this question, Freyja managed to ignore Valka's enraged ranting and answered as best as she could.

"You guys know dragons better than any Viking I know of," she explained. "I want to know if my brother is still alive so I can put my mind at rest and make sure he gets better, but I want to do it without hurting any of the dragons of the nest if possible. I can't do that without you. You all have the knowledge and experience to get into the nest yourselves, surely it won't be a problem to bring in two more Vikings. Just me and my second in command, Captain Vorg."

"_Two _of you?! That's crossing the line there young woman," Valka scolded.

"Please, ma'am!" Freyja pleaded. "We don't have to be armed if you don't want us to be! The only reason I'm saying Vorg should come is because other than me, he's the only one who can control my brother's rage. He's probably stranded on that island surrounded by dragons – the one thing he hates most – and it's driving him crazy! He could get hurt worse than he probably already is!"

"I-!"

"I don't want to lose the only family I have left!"

Those words stopped Valka right in her tracks. Freyja was close to tears and the onlookers respectfully turned their heads away.

"Please, I beg of you," the Berserker girl choked. "If you do this, then my tribe will never bother you again, I promise. I will even go as far as to go against my brother's wishes to make sure it stays like that. You're my only chance."

The room was silent for a moment. Even Toothless, who was sat chewing on some dried fish had gone quiet.

Eret was the one who spoke up.

"How do you know your brother is still alive?" he asked. "If what your stand-in captain said was correct, then the rocks should have killed him."

"Dagur is too stubborn to let himself die like that. I know he's alive and I know he needs help."

"Well that settles it then," Hiccup concluded. "We prepare for travel. Tomorrow some of us head straight for the nest."

"Thank you!" Freyja sobbed, hurling herself at Hiccup and gripping him in a death hug.

"Hiccup, you're going to save a potential threat to the dragons?" Valka asked disbelievingly. "One who tried to kill you more than once!"

"Dagur and I were friends once, Mom," Hiccup explained as he pried Freyja off of him. "He wasn't always that bad. He deserves a second chance."

Valka sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to convince her son out of this. "Fine."

"Thank you," Freyja said again. "I really appreciate it."

"I volunteer to come on this rescue mission?" Astrid asked. "I owe Dagur a few punches to the face."

"Thanks, Astrid, we'll need a girl around. Mom, would you be able to come? We may be coming across a few dragons we've never encountered before, you might be able to communicate with them. I'm coming because Toothless is the alpha and might be able to calm the dragons down enough so that we can find Dagur. Any other volunteers?"

"I'll go," Eret offered. "I'd like to meet this 'Dagur' of yours."

"Okay, so that's four of us. Fishlegs? You wanna come? Your knowledge of dragons should come in handy."

"Um-."

"Hey!" Snotlout interrupted. "What about us?!" He gestured to himself and the Thorston twins, who had fallen asleep at some point in the meeting.

"You three need to stay and manage the Dragon Academy," Hiccup explained. "Gustav is starting his training, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"Good. So Fishlegs, you coming?"

"Uh, sure. I'll go get ready right away."

"Okay, we set off at midday tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, Fray."

Freyja's eyes widened and she immediately hid her face behind her hair in case she started crying. It had been a long time since _anyone_ had called her Fray…

* * *

**Umm... does that small outburst count as feels?**

**Let me know what you think of the dialogue. I'm not 100% sure of it, but I want everyone else's opinion before I alter it.**


	8. Chapter 7 - Distress

**Okay, time to focus a little more on Aurora, mainly her appearance because right now all I've said about her is that she's a purple dragon with gold eyes, and that really isn't very descriptive.**

**And some really OOC stuff with Dagur too. I beg of you, DON'T HUNT ME DOWN AND KILL ME!**

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Distress**

**"****FREYJAAAAA!"**

Aurora was jolted awake by the Berserker human's screaming. She was lying down on a cool rock just outside the mouth of her cave because the human refused to let himself sleep when she was around and it annoyed her. Looking up, she saw that the waning moon was halfway through its journey across the sky, signifying that it was late.

**"****Hey!"** she yelled. **"Mind keeping it down?!"**

But the Berserker kept on shrieking inhumanely, the sounds tearing out of his mouth a combination of Norse, petrified screams and twisted Dragonese. One word in particular was prominent no matter what language he was crying out in: Freyja.

Aurora's head tilted in concern. Until now, the only emotions that she'd seen from the Berserker were those of hostility, stubbornness, and on occasion, all-out hatred. In the week and a half that she'd been caring for him, he'd never been this scared. Not openly, anyway.

Quickly, she rushed inside and headed straight for the little alcove in the wall that she had designated for the Berserker. Pushing aside the vines she'd placed there to act as a sort of curtain, she saw him thrashing around and kicking his legs all over the place, his eyes, pale and unseeing, wide open with terror and streaming with tears, his mouth warped into a scream.

**"****FREYJAA!"**

**"****Easy! Calm down!"** Aurora said, trying to quieten the screaming human by taking hold of his shoulders and shaking him gently. She felt him kick her in the hind leg, and was immediately thankful she'd removed his boots, otherwise the blow might have hurt.

When the human didn't react to Aurora's desperate attempts to end his screaming fit, the dragoness was forced to resort to using one of her healing abilities. She took a deep breath and exhaled a short puff of light purple smoke. The Berserker took in several breaths of the anaesthetic that the smoke contained and slowly calmed down as it took effect. She'd given out a weak dosage, so all it would do was calm his mental state so that his mind couldn't really perform explosive emotional outbursts the way he wanted.

Pretty soon he was curled up with his knees brought up to his chest (much to Aurora's chagrin because they hadn't exactly healed properly, but she'd let it slide just this once) and was crying softly.

"Freyja," he choked. "I'm **so sorry…** I couldn't **protect you.** No… **I'm usel**ess… F-**Frey**ja!"

**"****Ssh,"** Aurora crooned, placing her muzzle against the top of the human's head and breathing in the scent of his ragged red hair. **"It's okay. It's just a bad dream."**

The sobbing continued, and Aurora decided that the most she could do was get some herbs and ointments out and treat his injuries a little more. If she knew the human well enough already, then she knew he'd never admit to her what had gotten him so worked up. Carefully, she lifted his head to rub some more ointment onto his eyes and tightened the splints around his legs. Surprisingly, he didn't resist at all this time, unlike the countless times he had done so before.

**"****Humans are weird," **Aurora muttered half-heartedly. **"Berserkers are even weirder."**

When she was finally done fixing him up for the night, she took it upon herself to attempt to comfort him, and carefully wrapped her tail around him. Immediately, he snarled pulled away from her, anger overtaking his features.

**"****Back off,"** he growled in almost perfect Dragonese. **"Monster!"**

Aurora flinched at the words. Did he really hate dragons that much? Unsure, she wandered out of her cavern to take a walk. After five minutes, she stopped to stand in front of a nearly unbroken sheet of cascading water known as the Mirror Fall. In it, she could see her reflection; a light purple dragoness with pale gold eyes. Her weight was held by long, slim legs, her slim body was about five feet long, minus her neck and tail. Her head was slender and pointed slightly, structured similarly to a wolf's, and her neck was four feet long. Her tail was around five feet long, slim and flexible to make movement through the battlefield towards patients a lot easier. Darker purple stripes ran along her muzzle, halfway down her tail, along her upper hind legs and her lower front legs and flexible plates of light blue armour coated her throat, underbelly, upper front legs and lower back legs. Soft, flowing feathers crested her head, shoulders, cheeks and tail, the ones on her cheeks being more like short fur. The feathers on her head and cheeks had soft, pastel sunset hues, such as pink and orange, whilst the ones on her shoulders and tail were a mix of greens, purples and blues, like the aurora she was named after.

**"****Is this really what he calls a monster?"** she whispered, ruffling her shoulder feathers and noticing the one physical aspect of a dragon she lacked. Wings. It didn't bother her, since it was well known that the females of her dragon breed didn't get their wings until they reached the later years of their adolescence. She was roughly twenty winters of age, and her wings would soon be perched on her shoulders. Until then, she was happy being restricted to the earth with her only means of flight being when she was carried by other dragons.

Sighing, she padded back to her cavern, her slender paws navigating their way across the rocky and moss-covered ground easily. When she arrived back in her cave, she checked on the human to find him with his back to her, presumably asleep. With her mind somewhat at rest, she returned to the rock she'd been sleeping on before slipping into an uneasy slumber with one question pervading her dreams.

Who was Freyja?


	9. Chapter 8 - Uncertainty

**This is a bit of a filler chapter, but it's a nice one that I hope you won't be disappointed by.**

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Uncertainty**

"You are _not_ backing out now, young lady!"

Freyja stood nervously in front of the rescue team, made up of dragons and humans. She was expected to ride on one of them, but the way some of them; particularly the Nadder; were looking at her like she was a piece of meat was putting her off.

"I don't like the way the Nadder's looking at me," Freyja mumbled. "I feel like a piece of meat."

"Stormfly's just wondering who you are, that's all," Astrid claimed, petting the blue Nadder's side fondly. "You don't have to worry, she'd never hurt you unless you gave her a good reason to."

"And a good reason would be..?"

"You try to hurt me. Or you steal her food. Or-."

"Okay, I think she gets it now, miss," Vorg interrupted, placing a protective hand on Freyja's shoulder. "How about you actually get her acquainted with a dragon instead of scaring her?"

Freyja cast a grateful glance at Vorg, before stepping forward hesitantly.

"Umm… who do I have the honour of flying with?" she asked hesitantly, settling her eyes on each dragon and assessing them. The Night Fury seemed friendly enough, but remembering her brother's rants about it, she averted her gaze pretty quickly. The Gronkle was looking at her with quite an adorable expression, so she supposed she wouldn't mind riding that one. There was a big green and red one, which she recognised as a Rumblehorn, staring at at her with deadly seriousness, and a brown one with an owl-like face and four wings that had only glanced at her once before focusing its attentions on Valka. Astrid's dragon, the Nadder, was looking at her with an expression that Freyja now realised was curiosity.

"You'll be flying with me and Stormfly," Astrid announced.

"And Vorg is going with Eret on Skullcrusher," Hiccup cut in as he arrived with a bag of supplies.

"Which one's Skullcrusher?" Vorg asked sceptically.

"This big handsome brute of course!" Eret exclaimed, fondly rubbing the Rumblehorn's insect-like head.

"Oh."

The group quickly mounted their dragons. Freyja wanted to get a little more acquainted with Stormfly before she rode her by spending a few minutes scratching her chin, but other than that, there were no delays. Gobber was left in charge of managing any chiefly duties so Hiccup didn't have to worry about any problems occurring whilst he was absent.

"Ready?" Astrid asked. Well, it wasn't really a question, more of a statement.

"Um… no?" Freyja squeaked. Having never flown on a dragon before, she was quite nervous as to what would happen.

"Then let's go!"

"Wait! I said I wasn't-! Aaaargh!"

Before the Berserker girl even had a chance to finish her sentence, she felt her stomach lurch as Stormfly took off. Screaming in terror, she screwed her eyes shut and gripped Astrid's shoulders tightly, refusing to let go or look down. It was only when the dragon's flight levelled out that she finally calmed down.

"You done freaking out yet?" Astrid demanded jokingly. "Or do you want to scream some more?"

In response, Freyja took the risk to open her eyes and scowl at the dragon rider. "I panicked, okay?" she snapped. "I bet you did the same when _you_ first flew!"

"Actually, I didn't, but Snotlout screamed like a girl."

That managed to crack a small smile from Freyja, before her face was masked with an expression of astonishment at just how high up they were. The grey-blue ocean was spread out before her, the view stretching out to the horizon. Far below, she thought she could see a Scauldron swimming across the waves, and just behind her, she could definitely see a small cluster of fishing boats sailing from Berk's docks. Why her brother had chosen to kill dragons instead of ride them was beyond her. The view was far more than she'd anticipated, and the rush of adrenaline was sending tingles up her spine.

"This is amazing!" she yelled, her hair flying into her open mouth. "I just don't believe it!"

"It is spectacular, huh?" Astrid said. "You Berserkers don't know what you're missing!"

"Too right! I could spend all day up here!"

"The view isn't the only thing you can enjoy either! Stormfly! Show her what we've got! Freyja, I suggest you hold on tight!"

"What do you- Yeeaaaaaaahh!"

Yet again, Freyja felt her stomach flip as the Nadder tucked in its wings and dropped into a dive. Freyja's screams were that of joy and excitement as her heart raced wildly in her chest.

"Whooooooohhooooo!" she squealed as Stormfly pulled up sharply and they swiftly returned to their previous altitude. "Hahahaaa! That was crazy! In a good way, of course."

"Glad you enjoyed it, because we've probably got several long hours of flying ahead of us. Just be thankful that it's a lot quicker than sailing."

"I can see why."

"How do you think Vorg is taking the flying?"

Freyja glanced over to the Rumblehorn that Eret and Vorg were riding. The latter wore an expression on his face that appeared to be a mix of pants-wetting fear and nausea.

"I think he soiled his britches," she snickered, a smirk reminiscent of her brother's appearing on her face.

Meanwhile, riding just behind the two female riders on Cloudjumper, Valka watched the Berserkers and how well they were coping with riding dragons instead of slaughtering them. The big one seemed to be rather queasy, but the madman's sister appeared to be taking it rather well. Maybe…

She shook her head. They had a lot further to go before she decided if Freyja was suitable dragon rider material or not.


	10. Chapter 9 - How to Train Your Human

**In all honesty, I did _not _originally plan on having this scene in the story. It just kinda showed up. *ducks as an axe flies over my head***

**So enjoy some dragon rants and... something else that my mind seemed to spawn XD**

**Remember: Dragonese is in bold**

* * *

**Chapter 9 – How to Train Your Human**

If Aurora had been presented with a choice between being stuck with a hyperactive hatchling dragon or a rebellious twenty-one-year-old Berserker for two weeks, Aurora would have picked the hatchling.

**"****Gods above, I need to get a cage for you or something!"** the disgruntled healer snarled as she picked the Berserker up by the collar of his tunic and unceremoniously dropped him in the corner. The annoying human immediately tried to scramble off again, but dropped to the floor as his legs gave way beneath him.

"Ow!" he yelled, rubbing his chin. "Stupid legs!"

**"****Not my fault if your legs haven't healed properly,"** Aurora huffed. **"They'd be healing up even faster if you didn't try to run off all the time."**

"Shut up."

In response, Aurora lashed her tail in a whip-like motion to make a savage cracking noise. The human immediately froze, a flicker of fear in his blinded eyes. Deciding that she wouldn't have any more of the human's bad attitude, the dragoness pressed her face right up to his, growling softly.

**"****I don't know how much of my language you can understand, but I know you know enough to understand the gist of what I'm about to say, so listen to me, you hairless little rat,"** she berated harshly. **"I don't care if you're a legendary Berserker; you have ****_no right_**** to be repaying me the way you are now! I could have left you to die in that rock pile, but I went against the wishes and advice of my friends to save you. I could have been putting my own life and my nest in danger, but I dragged you out of that death trap anyway. I have a responsibility to my people, but I put those responsibilities aside for ****_you_****! A ****_human_****! A human who has killed countless dragons, many of whom I have cared for and grown close to! I owe you – ****_nothing_****! But did I ever consider that? No! I didn't!"**

For once, the human was silent, doubt and shock plastered on his face. Finally, she was making some headway!

**"****So stop being so stubborn and show some gratitude for once! Otherwise I'll build a raft, dump you on it and cast you out onto the open sea for a pack of Sharkworms to feast on!"**

With her rant over, Aurora promptly shoved the human onto the pile of nesting materials she kept in the corner and turned her back on him with the intention of ignoring him for the rest of the morning. In an attempt to calm herself down, she began taking her healing resources down from the makeshift stone shelves she had and reorganised them all while she waited for Elda to arrive.

It wasn't long before Aurora's keen ears alerted her to a faint rustling behind her, right where she'd left the Berserker. Holding back a growl of frustration, the healer twisted her neck round to glare at the human who had been such a burden to her for the past two weeks.

What she saw surprised her. It wasn't an escape attempt like she'd expected. The human had managed to drag himself to his feet and stumble over to a small pile of discarded stones and other knick-knacks that Aurora had been meaning to clear out but had forgotten about. After shifting about to get himself into a comfortable sitting position, the Berserker started sorting through the objects, simply running his hands along them.

For a while, Aurora watched; completely baffled by the human's actions.

**"****Humans are weird,"** she eventually muttered to herself, turning back to her own activity. **"Berserkers are weirder. He's twice as weird."**

But as the early hours of the morning passed by, Aurora found her attention being repeatedly drawn to her bipedal patient. As she took in more of his strange antics, she realised he was setting up small challenges for himself; tossing rocks in the air and catching them, inspecting sticks of crystal for cracks and imperfections and other small tasks that most creatures would have found ridiculously easy.

But that was because most creatures weren't blind like he was.

**"****I guess you're smarter than you let in on,"** Aurora breathed softly. **"Well then, let's see how sensitive your ears are."**

Chuckling inwardly, Aurora finished setting up her tools and resources, and spent the next few minutes lying around and coming up with the simple test that she was going to spring on the human.

_Think of it as payback for your bratty behaviour this past week,_ she thought.

* * *

Dagur had never been so _bored_ in his life. At least not that he could remember. He'd admit that trying to catch things that he couldn't really see had been quite entertaining for a while, but the novelty had worn off eventually.

_This is stupid,_ he thought to himself. _I should be trying to get out of here, but I'm letting a silly lecture on morals from a stupid dragon get the best of me! Some Viking I'm turning out to be. Freyja must be worried sick about me. I seriously need to-._

His thoughts were interrupted when a low snarl sounded right in his ear. Whipping round, Dagur lashed out, only to have his hand make contact with empty air. The moment he turned around, he felt something hit him in the back of the head. The impact wasn't very hard, but it still annoyed him.

"H**ey**!" he yelled, suspecting the dragon was behind this. "What's the **big** idea?!" Great, he was doing it again; exchanging Norse words for snarls and growls. It had been quite a confusing development, along with the fact that he was also seeming to turn the dragon's once incomprehensible roars into words, as if they were speaking some sort of language. Eventually, he'd learned to ignore it, but when it came to listening to the dragons for prolonged periods of time, it could get quite concerning.

**"… ****get me!"** the dragon cooed somewhere to his right. **"Or… scared?"**

"Dumb **dragon!"**

**"****Come… get me!"**

Groaning in exasperation, Dagur pulled himself to his feet, using the handholds on the cave wall as leverage. It hurt as he felt a few of the less healed parts of his legs creak slightly, but other than that he gritted his teeth and got up.

**"****Get… lazy..!"**

Spurred on by what he was certain was an insult, Dagur managed to stumble a few steps in what he hoped was the direction of the dragon, intent on giving it what for.

**"****Almost..!"**

Dagur stood shakily on his sore legs, his hands waving about in a desperate attempt to try and reach the dragon from where he was. The beast's taunting chirps had taken an unfamiliar tone; almost encouraging. He would not be scared to admit that he'd never,_ ever_ been in this situation before, especially not with a dragon.

**"****Come… little more."**

"Have **you** ever c**onsid**ered that walking **hurts?!"** Dagur snapped.

**"****Won't… better… try."**

Mumbling profanities, the Berserker chieftain shuffled forward towards the dragon a little more before his knees gave out from beneath him. Just before he hit the ground, he felt a warm, scaly mass break his fall and he immediately held onto it.

**"****Okay… think… pushed… too hard… time,"** the dragon growled softly. Dagur could feel its body vibrating with the sounds it was making, and actually found it quite-.

He pushed away. No, he wasn't going to get cuddly with a dragon. Not ever.

When Dagur felt the dragon pick him up by the back of his tunic _yet again_, he tried to struggle, but to no avail. He only stopped pushing back against the dragon's chest when the beast put him down in the alcove he'd been confined to for the majority of his stay here.

The dragon's soft footsteps soon retreated to some other part of the cave, and Dagur was left to his thoughts. Normally he wasn't very keen on constructive thinking, but he figured it would stop him from becoming too bored. After a few moments, he figured it would be a good idea to formulate a list of things that he felt were important to his situation.

Okay, he didn't know how long he'd been there, but it had to be more than a week. If his armada hadn't been scuttled, Dagur figured it would have gotten back to Berserker Island by now, and his sister was formulating some sort of crazy plan to get him back. He was blind; that did absolutely _nothing_ to help him escape. In fact, it made things a lot harder. Not only that, but his legs still hadn't completely healed, making walking a lot more painful. To make matters worse, he was stuck with a dragon that apparently had a constant eye kept on him and also seemed to enjoy ticking him off. Top that off with the fact that he didn't know where on earth he was on the island, he had next to no chance of escape.

Dagur groaned in annoyance and defeat. Was he _ever_ going to get off of this blasted rock?

* * *

**Soo... hehe... what do you think? *cackles with evil laughter***

**Okay, here are the complete sentences of the messed up Dragonese.**

**"Come and get me!" "Or are you scared?"**

**"Come on and get me!"**

**"Get up off of your lazy behind!"**

**"Almost there!"**

**"Come on, just a little more!"**

**"Won't get better unless you try."**

**"Okay, I think I pushed you a little too hard this time.**

***grins like an idiot* Don't worry my faithful followers! There are more chapter like this in the future! *runs away from the mob of angry Vikings***


	11. Chapter 10 - Tearful Reunion

**All I have to say is a small warning. Here it is!**

**WARNING! - Major Feels and OOC-ness!**

**Oh, and dragon speech is in bold.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Tearful Reunion**

_The same day, midday._

"I see the nest! We're almost there!"

Freyja looked over Astrid's shoulder to see the dragon nest in the distance. It was a massive island, dominated by a large mountain that sputtered the occasional cloud of smoke. The whole thing was covered in lush green vegetation, and Freyja could see movement in the foliage. Dragons, no doubt.

"We'll be there in a few minutes!" Hiccup called out to the rescue party behind him. "When we do, just let the dragons get used to you, show them you're not a threat. Then we'll look for Dagur."

Everyone yelled in acknowledgement, and proceeded to the island.

* * *

**"****We're under attack!"**

Aurora's head snapped towards the voice at the entrance of her cave. A slight rustle told her that the human had also been alerted to the distressed screech.

**"****From what?"** Aurora asked as she stepped outside. Running around in erratic circles was a purple Nadder, who she knew as Jittertail. Jitter was a well-known drama queen who took everything way too seriously and treated even the slightest of scratches like a fatal injury.

**"****Humans! They're riding brainwashed dragons!"**

Aurora's interest was immediately gained. Humans riding dragons? After hearing Elda's story, that was plausible, but _brainwashed_? No, only alpha dragons could 'brainwash' dragons, and no human had ever been known to have controlled one.

**"****They're coming!"**

Groaning in annoyance, Aurora checked that her human charge was well out of the way before dragging Jittertail into her cavern by his tail.

**"****Let's get you calmed down, Drama Queen."**

**"****You're going to pull my tail off!"**

**"****Oh, for Gods' sakes! Shut up!"**

* * *

"Easy, Freya. No. Sudden. Moves."

Freyja was stood stock still, gazing up in terror at the snarling face of the dark green Monstrous Nightmare. The moment she'd left the others to start searching for Dagur, it had burst out in front of her, a look of pure hatred gleaming in its venomous eyes.

**"****What… filthy…" **it snarled.

Freyja tilted her head in confusion. Had the dragon just-?

"Freyja! Look out!"

Snapping to her senses, Freyja noticed the Nightmare preparing to barbecue her. Without thinking, she dived out of the way, the dragon's fire scorching where she had just been standing seconds ago and leaving a massive black scorch mark in her place. Now she _had_ to thank Dagur for pushing her so hard in training the next time she saw him.

Vorg immediately charged forward, only to be cut off by Hiccup's dragon; Toothless. The Alpha Night Fury bared its gleaming white teeth at the Berserker Captain in warning.

**"****Let… it."**

_There it is again,_ Freyja thought. _But… what is 'it?'_

Growling, Toothless turned to the Nightmare, eyes narrowed. The green dragon snarled back, however the snarl dwindled as its eyes met with the Night Fury's.

**"…****down… We do… harm… people."**

_That was Toothless_, Freyja noted. _Am I going crazy? I must be. Dragons don't talk! Well… I don't speak dragon… What the Hel?!_

Respectfully, the Monstrous Nightmare lowered its head and crooned in submission. With a final growl, Toothless sent it off. The moment it left, Freyja relaxed and allowed Toothless to nudge her arm and growl softly.

**"…****okay?"**

"I'm fine," Freyja said as she gratefully rubbed the Night Fury's scaly black nose. "Thank you."

**"****No…"**

Freyja decided not to acknowledge the fact that the dragon seemed to be talking to her, but made a mental note to ask someone about the chances of dragons being able to form some sort of language. Looking up from where she was petting the dragon, she realised that everyone was watching her being cosy with Toothless. Odin help her if Dagur found out about this…

"What was that?" Astrid asked incredulously.

"I think Toothless was asserting his dominance," Fishlegs suggested. "After all, he is the Alpha Dragon."

"That could be it," Hiccup acknowledged. Glancing at Freyja, he decided that it was time to actually make a plan. "Okay, we'll fan out, that way we'll cover more ground. I'll go with Vorg, Freyja and Toothless along the western third of the island. Mom, you and Eret take the centre, Astrid and Fishlegs will take the east. Got it?"

"Got it," everyone chorused.

"Okay, let's move out."

* * *

Dagur growled under his breath in frustration. That other dragon that had come in squawking like a crow with a splinter in its foot fifteen minutes ago hadn't left yet and just wouldn't _shut up_! At least the dragon who had been bugging him for over a week was ticked off too.

**"****I swear… danger!"** it squawked _yet again._

**"… ****shut up…"** the healer dragon; as Dagur had deduced the other annoying lizard was; mumbled.

**"****How… be… calm?! … have a Night Fury!"**

**"****A **what?! **Night **Fury?!" Dagur snarled.

**"****What… that?! We… overrun!"**

There was a frantic scrabbling of claws and a thumping of heavy dragon footsteps as the annoying dragon that wouldn't shut up fled the cavern, squawking incomprehensibly.

**"****Great job…"** the healer growled. **"Now… got… queen… who knows… human… you here."**

"Well, I'm **_sorr_**_y_," Dagur drawled sarcastically. **"Maybe it's **because-."

**"****Sshh!"**

Before Dagur could yell in outrage, a cool, scaled claw clamped itself over his mouth.

**"****Stay hidden."**

Oddly enough, Dagur did as he was told as the dragon departed, the soft _clack, clack_ of its claws even quieter and more spaced out than usual.

* * *

"See that one there?" Vorg stated, pointing out the sleek form of a light purple dragon with fiery red-orange, fur-like feathers cresting its head and cheeks, with an estimated shoulder of height similar to a Gronkle's. It lurked in the shadowy mouth of a small cavern, golden eyes narrowed in suspicion. "It looks like its hiding something."

"So?" Hiccup shrugged. "What's that got to do with Dagur?"

"Prisoners, perhaps? After all, I've seen a distinct lack of dead bodies since we got here. A good number of men were lost fighting these dragons. Some survivors may have been taken as prisoners."

"Do dragons take prisoners?"

"It could happen. It's like you said, you never know what to expect with dragons."

Hiccup was about to reply, but a flash of bronze-red hair caught his eye. A sharp intake of breath signified that Vorg had seen it too.

"Freyja!" he half hissed, half yelled in the Berserker youth's direction. "What the Hel are you doing?!"

Freyja, who was silently creeping through the bushes towards the cavern, ignored the Captain. Her sight was solely on the dragon, whose eyes were constantly scanning for signs of movement. Vorg prayed that Dagur was alive so he could commend his chief for the survival lessons he'd convinced his sister into going through with.

Vorg assessed his options. Freyja was roughly seven meters away from the cavern and the dragon. He and Hiccup were about eleven meters away with Toothless. They could easily rush towards her and snatch her up before she did anything stupid. True, he'd probably get an earful, and perhaps even end up with a broken nose, but it was that or let the girl get barbecued.

"What in the name or Thor is she doing?!" Hiccup hissed, flailing his hands. Vorg grabbed his arms and pulled them down so as not to attract the dragon's attention.

"Taking after her brother."

"Well we need to stop her! She may be desperate to save Dagur, but from what I remember, Dagur would throw a fit if he knew what was going on! I'd rather not die yet!"

_Snap!_

"Oh, that's just great…"

* * *

Aurora jerked her head in the direction of the sound. She caught a glimpse of red-brown through the branches of some nearby bushes, roughly five metres away from her, and growled softly.

**"****Who's there?"**

The sound of harsh whispers alerted her. Turning her face to search the undergrowth for trouble, she caught sight of black scales and long horns. A quick sniff of the air told her that this wasn't just a dragon she didn't know, but humans too.

_Maybe they've come for the Berserker,_ she thought. Finally,_ a way to get him out from under my scales._

Despite that thought, she remained tense, waiting for any signs of an attack of sorts. No way was she going to allow anything to threaten her home.

That's when the red-haired blur shot out of the undergrowth for her.

* * *

"Freyja, no!"

Vorg dashed forward as he saw the lavender dragon rear up in front of his young charge, the feathers – that resembled Aurvandil's Fire – on its shoulders flaring up. Freyja skidded to a halt, green eyes wide with terror. What had she been thinking?!

The dragon was switching its attention from Freyja to Vorg and back again, before settling on Freyja and pouncing on the terrified Berserker girl. An angry roar ripped out of its throat, prompting a quickly brightening glow from its chest.

"DAGUR!" she shrieked, thrashing beneath the dragon's clawed grip. "HELP ME!"

* * *

"DAGUR! HELP ME!"

Upon hearing his sister's terrified call, Dagur was up on his feet and trying to drag himself in the general direction of Freyja's voice. His little sister was in danger, and he'd protect her, no matter what some bossy dragon said.

Grunting in pain, the Berserker chieftain hastily made way for the savage roaring, angry yells and terrified screaming. Straining his eyes, he managed to pick out a ridiculously blurred purple shape amongst all the green of the outside.

**"****Stop!"** he commanded, stumbling forward a few paces towards what was certainly the bothersome – and now very furious – dragon.

**"****Stay out of this!"**

"DAGUR!"

"FREYJA!"

That was definitely his sister's voice. And judging from the screaming and roaring, this dragon was about to kill her.

**"****DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY SISTER!" **he screeched, his face twisting into a mask of feral rage. The pain in his legs didn't matter, all that mattered was saving his little sister.

The roaring ceased, and the blurred shape of the dragon shifted slightly. It repeated the motion several times before finally moving, allowing a slim, red-topped figure to stand up.

What came next was a punch in the face and a lot of enraged screaming.

* * *

**"****DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY SISTER!"**

Aurora froze, the fire rising in her throat halting in its passage. Sister?

Turning her head, she swung her gaze between the stricken human beneath her and the one stood rigid at the mouth of the cave, an animalistic protectiveness raging in his blind eyes. Looking back and forth between the two, she slowly began to piece things together. They had the same hair and eyes, same face…

And she'd just been about to kill her human charge's sister…

Unable to believe the madness of her actions, she pulled away, snuffing the building flames and letting out low whines of confusion. What had she been _thinking_?! She was supposed to heal, not kill!

**"****I… I-I…"**

Backing away, she remained a respectful distance from the siblings. A mournful, expression of regret adorned her face.

The two other humans, who had come out of the bushes in an attempt to protect the human girl, were watching the reunion.

The girl got up, and immediately went over to her brother to punch him in the face.

* * *

"YOU IDIOT! YOU STUPID! FLAMING! IDIOT!"

Dagur didn't move as Freyja screamed and punched her frustrations at him. She didn't care if she hurt him, she just wanted to degrade and humiliate him, let him know just how much he'd scared her and tormented her.

"I COULD HAVE LOST YOU! YOU'RE ALL I HAVE LEFT AND YOU JUST DECIDE TO _THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY_! DID YOU HAVE _ANY _IDEA HOW SCARED I WAS?! DO YOU HAVE _ANY _IDEA WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE IF YOU HAD _DIED_ ON THAT STUPID SUICIDAL CRUSADE OF YOURS?!"

The Berserker chief was silent, eyes closed to the world around him so he couldn't see the choked, despairing and furious mask on Freyja's face. So he couldn't see the tears that streamed down her cheeks. He'd let her do this to him; it was what he deserved after nearly destroying her.

When Freyja was done belittling Dagur, she threw herself into his chest, heaving great sobs of distress.

"I thought… I thought I was doing it to protect you…" Dagur whispered, wrapping his arms around his sister.

"You-you can't protect me if you're d-dead."

He didn't know why, but those words broke Dagur's resolve completely. The floodgates opened and shuddering sobs broke free of his chest. He collapsed to his knees, taking Freyja down with him.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he wailed. "Th-this s-stupid obsession has destroyed everything! Now I can never protect you again, all because of this mad quest. I-I can't- I just-!"

"Don't say that. You can always-."

"I can't!" Dagur yelled, pushing Freyja away so she could see his pale, unseeing eyes and the acid burns that surrounded them. "Look at me! This is all my fault! I did this to myself!"

As Freyja's eyes took in the state of Dagur's, she slowly realised what he meant. Without his sight, he was next to useless in a fight, therefore he couldn't fight to protect her. She sighed. What had he gotten himself into?

"Just because you can't fight to protect me doesn't mean you can't do something else to protect me," she said softly.

"Like what?"

"… I don't know… But we'll figure it out. I promise."

* * *

**Oh god, I was picturing this in my head the other night and... I cried! D'X I genuinely cried! Don't worry, I feel better now!**

**Oh, and I've also decided a genre for this!**

**The next chapter contains some more major OOC-ness, so don't kill me please.**

**Edit/: Dammit, I forgot to fill in the Dragonese DX Here it is!**

**"What are you doing here, you filthy human?!"**

**"Let me handle it."**

**"Back down. We do not wish to harm your people."**

**"Are you okay?"**

**"No problem."**

**"I swear! We're in terrible danger!"**

**"Jittertail, shut up please."**

**"How can you be so calm?! They have a Night Fury!"**

**"What was that?! We're overrun!"**

**"Great job..." "Now we've got a supreme drama queen who knows I've got a human; i.e. you here."**


	12. Chapter 11 - Final Farewell? No

**Hey! Thanks for being patient guys! I was sick for a few days and I managed to scrape up the motivation to start writing this chapter yesterday afternoon thankfully.**

**My only warning is major OOC-ness that will probably continue in later chapters.**

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Final Farewell? No, Not Like This…**

When the rescue team regrouped, there was an instant tension in the air directed at Dagur.

"So you're who all this fuss has been about, eh?" enquired Eret. Dagur wasn't sure if his tone was mocking or friendly. "You must have been tough to have lasted two weeks here blind."

"Uh… thanks..?"

"I'd have thought that a chief wouldn't have been stupid enough to lead an attack on a heavily populated dragon's nest," Valka commented bitterly as she dismounted Cloudjumper.

"Mom, please don't," Hiccup interjected before Dagur could start a fight. "I'd rather get Dagur back to Berserker Island in one piece."

"We're going back to Berserker Island?" Dagur asked, uncertainty lacing his tone.

"Where else would we take you? You've got a tribe to lead and a sister to look after," Hiccup stated. "Now come on, you're on Skullcrusher with Eret and Freyja. Mom, you don't mind if Vorg rides with you this time, do you?"

There was a mumble of consent from Valka.

"I-I can't go back!" Dagur suddenly stammered, surprising everyone. "Not like this! Not-not yet…"

"Dagur, we have to," Freyja said softly, taking hold of his hand. "You need to govern the tribe and keep order."

"Vorg can do that. I-I just… I don't… I don't think I can do it myself yet…"

Hiccup, who was watching the whole thing silently, blinked in surprise. Had Dagur just admitted weakness?

"What are you going to do then?" he asked. "Stay here? I don't think that's very smart."

The Berserker chief's eyes flickered in Hiccup's direction for a moment before lowering to the ground at his feet. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I guess losing my sight has caused me to lose my way. I don't know where to go or what to do…"

Hiccup sighed, confusion nearly drowning his mind. Dagur had changed so much since they'd last met… it was unbelievable.

But just how quickly this change taken place?

Eventually, the dragon rider made up his mind.

"You can stay on Berk until you've gathered your senses," Hiccup offered. "But only if you promise not to cause any trouble."

Hiccup had thought that so far, the day couldn't get any more surprising. He couldn't have been more wrong when Dagur's eyes lit up with gratitude.

"You'd do that?" he asked incredulously. "After everything I've done, you're still willing to give me a chance?"

"I get the feeling you need it," Hiccup said dismissively. "Come on, let's get back to Berk before things get any weirder. I don't think I'd be able to handle it."

Dagur allowed Freyja to lead him to Eret's dragon Skullcrusher, and was just about to try and scramble up onto the Rumblehorn's back when he heard something charging through the undergrowth towards the group of dragons and their riders.

**"****Wait!"**

The lavender dragon that had tried to attack Freyja skidded to a halt as it reached the beach that the dragon riders were just about to take off from. Strapped to its leg was what appeared to be a bag fashioned from vines woven together.

"Wh-what's that dragon doing?" Fishlegs asked nervously.

Recognising the dragon's voice, Dagur turned to look at it. Yep, that was the healer, he could tell from the basic shape and colour.

"What **are you** doing here?" he asked, not realising that he was jumping from Norse to Dragon.

Panting slightly from having run all the way from its cave, the dragon hesitantly walked up to Dagur, nervousness evidently written on its face.

**"****I… you're leaving… make sure you're… healed,"** it growled softly. Dagur still couldn't understand all of what it said, but he got the gist of it. **"After… you're still my responsibility… off this island."**

"Dagur, what does it want?" Freyja muttered nervously, somewhat hiding behind her brother.

"Its okay, Fray," Dagur whispered. "She… she just wants to give me a final check-up."

A low snort of confirmation enforced Dagur's claim. When Freyja relaxed, the dragon ran a quick, last-minute check-up, mainly examining Dagur's legs and eyes.

**"****Done,"** she said. **"… careful…"**

"I'll be **fine,"** Dagur assured. He took a deep breath, trying to summon the courage to say what he had to say next. With a slight hesitation, he reached out towards the dragon and placed a hand on its soft, rounded snout. The scaled creature twitched in surprise, but otherwise held still.

**"****Thank you,"** Dagur breathed, trying his best to consciously form the snarls and rumbles that he'd been able to produce since he'd ended up here. All the times before, it had been a subconscious reaction, and he was smart enough to know the difference between subconscious and conscious. **"You saved my life. If it weren't for you, I'd never be able to see my sister again. Even after the way I treated you, you still stuck by me, and I doubt I'll ever be able to repay that. You may not be able to return my sight, but I suppose I don't really deserve to have it back after everything I've done. I'm sorry I never realised the error in my ways until now."**

There was a moment of silence before the dragon leaned into Dagur's chest, crooning softly.

**"****I forgive you. Everyone deserves a second chance. Even madmen like you."**

* * *

To say that Aurora was shocked at the Berserker's little speech would be putting it lightly. If it weren't for the utter sincerity in his tone, she wouldn't have believed a word of it. Such honesty from what she had thought was a rebellious, immature brat tugged at her heartstrings. It seemed that having his sister back had mellowed the half mad human.

When Aurora pulled away from Dagur's chest, she turned to look at his sister, Freyja. She looked a little nervous, and flinched away when the dragon lowered her head to make eye contact.

"Sis, she won't hurt you," Dagur assured, giving his sister a gentle nudge. Reluctantly, Freyja held out her hand to allow the dragon to rest its muzzle in the girl's palm.

**"****I'm sorry I attacked you,"** Aurora growled softly. The girl's eyes glinted in surprise, and Aurora wondered if she possessed the same understanding of Dragonese as her brother. **"I didn't know what I was doing."**

"It's okay," Freyja said, gently rubbing Aurora's striped snout. "You're like me. Sometimes you do things that you have no control of, and it sometimes hurts people even if you don't want it to."

Aurora smiled in relief as she rested her head against Freyja's chest.

* * *

Hiccup felt like his head was going to combust. Never, in all of his days, would he have believed that Dagur would ever come into physical contact with a dragon without killing it. And if someone had come up to him two weeks ago saying that there were people who could speak Dragon, he'd have thought they'd been struck by Thor's lightning a few times too many.

The dragon rider chief watched in disbelief as Dagur rubbed the purple dragon's head for a final time before it turned away to leave. Before it disappeared into the depths of the island's jungle habitat, it turned to look at Hiccup and Toothless. A few growls were exchanged between the two dragons before the lighter of the two darted away.

The humans mounted their respective dragons (Hiccup noticed that Dagur's legs almost gave out beneath him when he mounted Skullcrusher. He'd have to ask Gothi to take a look at his legs), and quickly took off for Berk.

"You think we'll see that dragoness again?" Hiccup heard Freyja ask Dagur.

The elder of the two siblings smiled with a fondness that looked somewhat foreign on his face. "Yeah," he said. "I doubt that that was our final farewell."

"How come?"

"Call it a gut feeling."

* * *

***Anxiously awaits the barrage of complaints about Dagur's behaviour in this chapter* So... do you like it?**

**Oh, and here's the entirety of what Aurora said: "I figured that since you'll be leaving, I'd make sure you're more or less healed." "After all, you're still my responsibility until you get off of this island."**


End file.
